Tuesday, February 21, 2012

There are over twenty James Bond films, with plots and villains and gorgeous women that tend to blur. Daniel Craig is the sixth actor to enter the franchise, whose casting was initially met with criticism. James Bond as seen on film is nothing like the Royal Naval Reserve Commander (and bureaucrat) with the occasional dangerous mission that author Ian Fleming created in his novels.

Tsk-tsk Mr. Fleming, I loved that overgrown stunt man, as did a legion of 007 fans. I acknowledged that Bond should remain young and vital, and accepted each time the tuxedo was passed on, though half-heartedly. And then came the remake of Casino Royale; the over-the-top opening sequence was no longer a long shot with a stunt man cleverly hidden behind ski goggles or a motorcycle helmet, it was Craig as Bond, leaping, climbing and what?!...running through a wall! Gone was the glib banter and smug demeanor, replaced by a flinty expression of absolute focus. Daniel Craig explored a new facet of the secret agent; the world-weariness and terrible weight of being an assassin.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Your librarian has asked me to write,
telling you what a library can mean to you.

A library is many things. It's a
place to go, to get in out of the rain. It's a place to
go if you want to sit and think. But particularly it is
a place where books live, and where you can get in touch
with other people, and other thoughts, through books. If
you want to find out about something, the information is
in the reference books---the dictionaries the encyclopedias,
the atlases. If you like to be told a story, the library is
the place to go. Books hold most of the secrets of the
world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had.
And when you are reading a book, you and the author are
alone together---just the two of you. A library is a good
place to go when you feel unhappy, for there in a book,
you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a
good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided,
for there, in a book, you may have your question answered.
Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for
books are people---people who have managed to stay alive
by hiding between the covers of a book.